Requirements

WordPress can visit itself — Generation uses wp_remote_get() on your home URL. In practice: if you can open the site in a browser from the same machine that runs PHP, you are fine. Local tools (Local, Docker, MAMP) sometimes need a moment the first time. If exports time out, we cover that in Troubleshooting — it is usually “the site is busy talking to itself,” not a broken theme.

WordPress can write files — Tivlo creates wp-content/tivlo-static/ (and a {site-slug}/ folder on multisite). If that folder cannot be created, exports fail with “Could not write static file.” Same class of problem as “could not upload an image,” just a different folder.

Something has to run the to-do list — The queue worker is the WordPress event tivlo_ssg_process_queue (about every minute). On a quiet local site WP-Cron often naps until someone visits the site. Click Process Queue Now instead of waiting for a ghost. If you (or your host) set DISABLE_WP_CRON, a real system cron must hit wp-cron.php or the list never shrinks.